3 Games for Teaching Empathy: Turning Kids into Caring ChildrenFun Games to Help Your Child Be More Caring
By Jean Tracy, MSS
Can games increase empathy in your children? It's easy to raise selfish kids. Just give them everything they want. It's harder to teach empathy unless you know how. Games can help.
Empathy is the act of understanding and feeling what another is experiencing. It includes sympathy, compassion, and identification. We observe the feelings of another with our eyes and ears. We respond with our hearts.
Experts say empathy is the cornerstone of character. Let's find out how games can help you build empathy and character in your children.
First: How Character Building with "Describe the Emotion" Teaches Empathy
When reading stories with pictures, ask your child to "Describe the Emotions" of the characters they see. Nap time and bedtime stories provide easy opportunities to help your kids observe and describe emotions.
Flip through the magazines in the doctor's office to find expressive pictures for your children. It will pass the time and help your kids have fun too.
Recognizing feelings with facial pictures is a good step toward building character through empathy.
Second: How Character Building with "Spot the Feeling" Teaches Empathy
When you and your kids are watching TV, play the game, "Spot the Feeling." Tell your kids to "spot the feeling" during advertisements when they notice a character expressing an emotion. When someone answers, ask "How did you know?" Listen to and help them discuss their answers. Give high fives each time they identify and discuss a feeling.
By asking, "How do you know?" you're helping your children to think more deeply about the cues the character in the advertisement is displaying.
This is what we want our children to notice when they see a classmate, friend, or uncool child who is sad, upset, or happy. Realizing others have feelings is a strong step toward empathy.
Third: How Character Building with "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall" Teaches Empathy
Take turns with your child and make faces that express different emotions. Facial emotions might include anger, happiness, sadness, fear, shock, shame, surprise, nervousness, upset, silliness, or gratitude. Use the rhyme, "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall":
You found out how simple games can help your child learn to understand and feel for others. You reviewed three easy activities you can play together: role‑playing someone else’s feelings, discussing how they’d handle a situation, and tracking kind acts. You saw how play turns empathy from idea into practice. With these games, you now know how to help your child grow into someone who cares deeply about others.